CHAPTER 2
1357 Words
The wilderness was tougher than I ever imagined. I spent days searching for food, and my stomach grumbled at the few fruits, vegetables, and roots I managed to see.
Nights were worse. The howls of rogue wolves roared in the distance, terrifying alertness of the danger ahead in the wilderness.
Despite everything, I refused to let fear and dejection consume me. My shaking hands still managed to heal the cuts and bruises I got during my journey to the forest. Survival became my sole purpose.
Until the night, I stumbled upon a wounded man.
I had been following a stream, hoping to find fresh water to drink, when I noticed a dark shape lying near the riverbank.
My heart leaped into my throat as I approached gently, still looking behind to be very careful that no one was around.
The scent of blood hit me immediately, with an awful unpleasant smell.
The man was lying lifeless while facing down, his shirt was torn and soaked with blood. He had deep cuts and bruises in his arms and back, which shows evidence of a brutal fight.
“Moon Goddess,” I said gently, kneeling beside him. “Who did this to you?” I asked.
He groaned faintly as his body shifted. I was relieved because he was still alive and breathing.
I hesitated a bit, and my instinct was telling me to run, and helping him could draw the attention of a deadly rogue and then put me in danger.
But how could I just abandon him like this? I muttered.
I pressed my hands against his wounds, using all my strength and power of healing to cure him. My palms gave off a faint glow as I battled to heal the injuries and stop the bleeding.
After what felt like hours, his eyes blinked open, glittering brightly blue, and he glued it with mine.
“Why…” His voice was harsh, but it wasn't clear. “Why would you put your life in danger just for a stranger that you barely know?”
I sat back, my chest was heavy with exhaustion. “I’ve already lost everything,” I replied softly. “What more is there to fear?”
He looked at me with an expression that I couldn't tell. For a moment, I thought he was going to shout at me or probably ask me to leave his presence, but then his eyes softened a little.
“Who are you?” he asked instead with a sweet, charming voice.
“Serenity,” I answered. “And you?”
He paused, then looked at me before saying “Caden.”
There was something suspicious about the way he said it like he was hiding something. But I didn’t press any further in asking.
“You shouldn’t stay here,” I said. “The rogues will track your smell if they haven’t already.”
He grinned faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “You appear to know a lot about this place and how to survive.”Can you tell me more?
“I had to learn fast,” I said, rising to my feet. “Can you walk?” I asked, ignoring his request to explain more.
He struggled to stand up, gritting his teeth in pain as he walked. I offered him my arm, and to my greatest surprise, he accepted it.
As we walked, a weird silence settled between us. There was something about Caden that made me feel scared, his commanding presence, and the way he looked at me for a long time made me feel frightened and uncomfortable.
But there was also a spark of something more which I couldn’t quite identify.
The sound of distant howls broke the silence, and my blood ran cold. Caden's body reacted automatically to the sound of the howls, and he reached for a weapon beside me, his hand moving very fast even though there wasn't any weapon there.
“Rogues,” I said softly.
His jaw tightened. “Stay close.”
The howls grew louder and scarier, each cry sharper and more intimidating. Caden’s eyes got shorter, and his body tense, ready to fight.
“We need to move,” I said quietly, my lips barely moving and my hands shaking as I held his hand.
But he didn’t respond. His eyes were fixed on something in the back behind me. I turned slowly, my heart was beating very fast, and I froze at the sight of what I saw.
Their glowing yellow eyes stared back at us. Three rogue wolves, their fur standing as they stepped closer in a threatening movement.
“Stay behind me,” Caden ordered, with a commanding voice and strong tone.
I wanted to argue that I wasn’t helpless, but the way he stood in front of me, blocking my way, made it clear to me that I had no choice but to oblige.
He bent down and grabbed a sharp rock from the ground, holding it tight despite the injuries he had.
The wolves charged with full force, coming very close to us.
Caden moved so quickly, striking one wolf without getting hurt while dodging the others. My legs trembled under me like jelly shaking in a bowl with my heart pounding.
As I looked, the third wolf turned toward me. And they were trying to eat me up. The teeth were sharp, like knives, and it smelled bad, like a dirty wolf.
I searched desperately for something to defend myself, anything. A stick, a stone, whatever I could lay my eyes on. But before I could find anything, the wolf jumped at me, and for a moment, everything felt like a slow-motion dream.
“Serenity!” Caden shouted, trying to get my attention, but his voice was hard to hear because my heart was beating so fast.
The wolf rushed at me immediately and cut some part of my arm and I lost balance and fell. Just as the wolf tried to bite me in the face, Caden quickly pushed the wolf to the ground with amazing strength, even though he was badly injured.
My heartbeat increased, and goosebumps appeared all over me. I managed to get up, holding my arm tightly.
Caden finished off the last wolf with a quick hit and then turned to me with furry blue eyes, though filled with anger, softened as he looked at me, and I could see the concern and care behind them.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he growled.
“I….” I tried to speak, but before I could, suddenly, a loud, deep growl interrupted us. I looked to see what made the noise, and my heart skipped a beat.
Out of the darkness came a wolf much larger than the others, the eyes glowing with a sickly green light.
“Caden…” I barely called his name out of shock.
Caden's face became serious. “Stay behind me.” He thundered.
The huge wolf locked eyes with Caden, smiling evilly at us. Then, to my horror, it spoke.
“You can’t hide forever, Lunar King,” the wolf said firmly, and its voice filled with hate. Your throne is gone. Your kingdom is lost. And now, you will die here, like the coward you are.”
Lunar King? My breath caught in my throat as I tried to understand. Who was this man I had saved?
Caden didn’t even flinch. His grip on the rock tightened. “Over my dead body,” he said, his voice calm, even though the tension in the air was thick.
The huge wolf attacked him, and everything became wild and frantic around me.
Caden pushed me out of the way just in time. The wolf’s claws slashed through the air where I had been standing, and he fought the wolf to protect me. Blood splattered everywhere as the struggle began.
“Run, Serenity!” he shouted, run very far away! Run fast.
The beast overpowered him, forcing him to the ground while the beast's teeth came dangerously close to his neck.
Noo!, so I screamed loudly.
- Writer
